


The Sorcerers apprentice

by Thosesweetninjas



Category: Naruto
Genre: Always, Broomstick Racing, Gen, Ghibli AU, Howls Moving Castle AU, Kankuro misses his siblings, Lee isn't subtle, M/M, Neji is there too, Ningame as calcifur, Rasa:Bastard, Sandsibs are joint first for the best sibling award, Team Gai are all Bisexual, background kakagai, because they're always married and in love in my fics, cursed!Gaara, magic shenanigans, magical engineer!Tenten, screaming cacti, talking plants, they just are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 07:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thosesweetninjas/pseuds/Thosesweetninjas
Summary: Have you heard of a self fulfilling prophecy?Howls moving castle AU where Gaara is cursed, Lee isn't subtle and the world keeps moving





	The Sorcerers apprentice

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted this to be posted a while back but it just wouldn't work  
I was watching Howls Moving Castle and thought hmm how could I write Magic!Gaara and came up with this.  
As always it's pretty soft, I think so anyway. I'm not sure when I'll post the rest, I might edit some of this first bit/combine it into one long oneshot.  
I just wanted to post part of it to unstick myself

Gaara has had enough. He feels the curse, the brand on his forehead, he feels it burn almost tauntingly at him. It’s the only thing his no good bastard of a father left him. He had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth when Gaara was 6, his siblings a couple years older than him. Being 17 you’d think he’d get used to it - it’s been more than 10 years - but he still feels it. He feels the words and feels the pain.

Living with Chiyo, who was a witch in Suna, was an experience in itself. The house constantly had the background noise of potions, plants which would progressively get louder if you didn’t attend to their needs and a whole manner of magical puppets doing housework. Temari had thrown herself into the potion side of magic and Kankuro into puppetry. Gaara had taken solace with books in granny Chiyo’s greenhouse.

He didn’t consider himself all that magical, he didn’t feel much affinity for any discipline but he did enjoy growing plants and nurturing saplings in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was his favourite place, the green tinted glass looked especially beautiful during summer storms and sound echoed throughout it. Gaara took over caring for the plants since he was there so often. Eventually he started talking to the cacti to pass the time, either reading from books or just speaking his thoughts aloud. 

Slow days when he hadn’t had anything else to do he’d stare up at the clouds through the glass, at the seemingly constant clear blue sky. The sound of the cacti was hard to pick up at first, it was like a hum which, when you paid attention sounded like wind across sand dunes and then transformed into crickets chirping.

On the windier days the cacti would sound like wind chimes, they were loudest in the morning because of the weather but after Gaara had spent days upon days in this greenhouse the cacti seemed to sing for Gaara’s attention. Vying for it above the other plants, those would only shift to grow towards Gaara and not so obvious with their want for attention. 

Most plants moved and spoke differently, he tried to memorise as much as he could over the years.

* * *

It had been weeks after Temari had been certified in intermediate potion making, she had travelled to Konoha to continue her studies. Kankuro had his own work station for puppetry purposes yet Gaara was still in the greenhouse with his books and screaming cacti. 

He wasn’t that close to his siblings, well  _ he _ didn’t feel like he was. The curse his father left interfered with his relationships with others. He still felt the divide between his siblings after they were left without either parent. His father driven mad with grief, or perhaps that’s what he was always like, had left them. 

Gaara had mulled over the curse his father had left him, a crappy inheritance if anyone was concerned. The wealth Rasa had left his children was enough to get them to Chiyos and contribute to their daily living. Gaara had saved up over his time tending to the plants Chiyo used for potions. He wasn’t in search of a fortune in any way he just wanted to break the curse. 

Chiyo hadn’t been very helpful when he asked about it when they first arrived all those years ago. “It must be a very powerful curse if you can’t do anything about it Granny” A rather tiny Gaara had said to her, after Rasa had left his children they all seemed rather small and Gaara the smallest of all.

* * *

Gaara had heard of the rumours of the revered Sublime Green Beast of Konoha, a talented magic user whose castle wandered through the desert and further into plains of Konoha. Now Gaara knew the Desert rather well, living in Suna but it was still rather dangerous terrain. Especially when you were looking for a magical castle. 

He managed to see glimpses of it out the window of the attic, surrounded by smoke and able to almost disappear into the sandstorms. His best bet would be to travel to Konoha and seek the castle or the elusive Wizard Gai through the town. He could always come back to the greenhouse if he failed. 

Chiyo had installed a sprinkler system for the plants a few years back but Gaara actually enjoyed the greenhouse... he’d actually miss it. When he thought about it there was quite a few things he’d miss. Stray puppets using up their last bits of magic, clockwork birds and animals ticking around the house; those didn’t seem like Granny’s style but added to the ambience nonetheless. 

The sounds of spellwork and potions bubbling all over the place. Terrible if all you wanted was some hot water for tea but interesting topics of conversation, through sheer exposure Gaara could probably list at least 5 useful potions and how to make them just from exposure.

With Temari in Konoha for research purposes, he could write to her and ask to visit. He hadn’t really ventured out in Suna all that much, he did help Chiyo by going to the market and often buying more plants that would sing to him, if the vendors could also hear them they didn’t seem too bothered. 

Using the messenger systems between villages only took a few days, he’d have to mention wanting to find someone to break the curse but they all knew he’d been looking for someone to do that since the mark had burned itself onto his forehead. Now there was just the task of telling Granny and Kankuro, he just hoped he wouldn’t be away for too long.

“I want to visit Temari” Gaara said during dinner one night, he’d received a letter back from Temari, all he had to do was turn up.

“Wha-” Kankuro stops, fork halfway to his mouth

“Oh I think that’ll be lovely dear, You could bring some Konohan plants back with you. We could fit some new plants in the greenhouse - add another section” Granny doesn’t seem all that phased. He’s expecting some kind of joke at the end of her sentence but it doesn’t come.

“Granny” Kankuro interjects, his expression is more like a scowl

“Kankuro, Gaara just wants a change of scenery, it won’t be for very long. We need some more plant varieties anyhow” Ah there was the secret intent.

“I want to go with you” Kankuro turns to Gaara, his eyes focused on him - all Gaara can think is that he looks very sincere

“You have that puppetry commision you’re doing” Gaara stars at Kankuro

“Sod ‘em” Kankuro leans back with his arms crossed

“Kankuro” Granny says sternly, Kankuro looks away from the table

“I just… I know you’re not that young even though you’re my baby brother but Konoha isn’t like Suna, it’s bigger and  _ different _ ”

“Temari is there for a few more weeks, I’ll come back  _ with _ her” Gaara says, maybe he was wrong about not being close with his siblings.

Kankuro huffs “I’m the last sibling then”

“Only for a month at most” Kankuro seems mollified at that 

“I’ve got something for you to give to Temari” Gaara nods at him and continues eating.


End file.
